Though I've always loved a good murder mystery, shockingly, I can't remember ever reading anything by Agatha Christie. In fact, the closest I've come to one of her characters was the sprightly Jessica Marbles (played by Elsa Lanchester) in the film adaptation of Neil Simon's spoof comedy 'Murder by Death (1976).' Probably Christie's most famous character, Miss Jane Marple doesn't quite fit the mould of a master-detective: she's a slow and frail old woman, but with enough vibrant enthusiasm and quick wit to more than compensate. Though the authorities initially tend to regard her as something of a dotty spinster, Miss Marple has read more than enough detective stories to understand the criminal psyche, and her creative insights, though probably useless in trivial crime matters, are just what is needed to unmask the cleverest of murderers. 'Murder She Said (1961)' was the first of four British films in which Marple was portrayed by Margaret Rutherford, the sequels being, in order of release, 'Murder at the Gallop (1963),' 'Murder Most Foul (1964)' and 'Murder Ahoy (1964).'
While reading "Death Has Windows" on a train journey, the docile Miss Marple is shocked to witness a women being strangled in a passing locomotive. Though she protests immediately to the conductor, a half-hearted police investigation turns up no traces, and Inspector Craddock (Australian acting legend Charles "Bud" Tingwell) privately suspects that the entire crime was imagined or, indeed, merely a misinterpreted act of "horseplay" among honeymooners. But Miss Marple is not to be dismissed. She acquires the assistance of fellow mystery-buff Mr. Stringer (Rutherford's husband, Stringer Davis) and commences her own investigation. The clues lead to the estate of Mr Ackenthorpe (James Robertson Justice), a grumpy and miserly invalid who hosts a family of similarly greedy and unlikable businessmen. Not to be intimidated, Miss Marple quickly signs up as the family's hard-working maid, proving that she's more than a match for Ackenthorpe's cantankerous protests. But her investigations are interrupted by yet another murder, and then the game is well-and-truly afoot.
One doesn't see too many lighthearted murder tales coming out of America during that era; it seems a very British thing to do. Even one of the few Hollywood examples, 'The Trouble With Harry (1955),' was directed by Mr. Alfred Hitchcock, who always retained that cruel British sense of humour that was characteristic of his work. George Pollock's 'Murder She Said' is a very British film, indeed, and such lighthearted and easy viewing that it almost works as a satire of the traditional murder mystery. Ron Goodwin's upbeat musical theme suggests a bright day in the country rather than a trip to the mortician. Nobody seems to take any of the deaths seriously, and even the greedy brothers joke snidely as their siblings are bumped off one at a time. The performances are sound across the board, with particular praise due to Rutherford, whose Miss Marple is such an offbeat but immediately likable character. Perhaps the only weak link was young Ronnie Raymond, whose conspicuously-dubbed voice was incredibly distracting.
While reading "Death Has Windows" on a train journey, the docile Miss Marple is shocked to witness a women being strangled in a passing locomotive. Though she protests immediately to the conductor, a half-hearted police investigation turns up no traces, and Inspector Craddock (Australian acting legend Charles "Bud" Tingwell) privately suspects that the entire crime was imagined or, indeed, merely a misinterpreted act of "horseplay" among honeymooners. But Miss Marple is not to be dismissed. She acquires the assistance of fellow mystery-buff Mr. Stringer (Rutherford's husband, Stringer Davis) and commences her own investigation. The clues lead to the estate of Mr Ackenthorpe (James Robertson Justice), a grumpy and miserly invalid who hosts a family of similarly greedy and unlikable businessmen. Not to be intimidated, Miss Marple quickly signs up as the family's hard-working maid, proving that she's more than a match for Ackenthorpe's cantankerous protests. But her investigations are interrupted by yet another murder, and then the game is well-and-truly afoot.
One doesn't see too many lighthearted murder tales coming out of America during that era; it seems a very British thing to do. Even one of the few Hollywood examples, 'The Trouble With Harry (1955),' was directed by Mr. Alfred Hitchcock, who always retained that cruel British sense of humour that was characteristic of his work. George Pollock's 'Murder She Said' is a very British film, indeed, and such lighthearted and easy viewing that it almost works as a satire of the traditional murder mystery. Ron Goodwin's upbeat musical theme suggests a bright day in the country rather than a trip to the mortician. Nobody seems to take any of the deaths seriously, and even the greedy brothers joke snidely as their siblings are bumped off one at a time. The performances are sound across the board, with particular praise due to Rutherford, whose Miss Marple is such an offbeat but immediately likable character. Perhaps the only weak link was young Ronnie Raymond, whose conspicuously-dubbed voice was incredibly distracting.